Guest wrote:They were just numbered segments of the ground for organisational purposes

and fenced in with wire mesh to keep rival tribes from kicking each other to death

Sounds like a lovely way to spend the afternoon with your wife and children.

Unfortunately Maddog, that was de rigeur at soccer matches all over Europe in the 70s and 80s, it still is in places like Turkey and Ukraine, and to a lesser extent in Poland and of all places Italy.You may be wistfully thinking of pleasant afternoons/evenings at Globe Life Park, watching Texas Rangers playing Arizona Diamondbacks, with beer, hot dogs, cotton candy, and corn dogs.That wouldn't have worked in Britain, different mindset, a lot of "fans" hoped that their team won, but as long as they got a chance to smash someone's face in, the day wasn't wasted.

The bad apples wrecked it for everyone else. The football fans, it seems now, were dehumanised by the behaviour of the hooligan element.

Guest wrote:They were just numbered segments of the ground for organisational purposes

and fenced in with wire mesh to keep rival tribes from kicking each other to death

Sounds like a lovely way to spend the afternoon with your wife and children.

Unfortunately Maddog, that was de rigeur at soccer matches all over Europe in the 70s and 80s, it still is in places like Turkey and Ukraine, and to a lesser extent in Poland and of all places Italy.You may be wistfully thinking of pleasant afternoons/evenings at Globe Life Park, watching Texas Rangers playing Arizona Diamondbacks, with beer, hot dogs, cotton candy, and corn dogs.That wouldn't have worked in Britain, different mindset, a lot of "fans" hoped that their team won, but as long as they got a chance to smash someone's face in, the day wasn't wasted.

The bad apples wrecked it for everyone else. The football fans, it seems now, were dehumanised by the behaviour of the hooligan element.

Which was my point all along. The police are in charge of keeping dumbasses from hurting and killing each other, and in this case they failed miserably. But the dumbasses should also accept some responsibility for being dumbasses.

The government should be a referee. It should never be a player on anyone's team.

Maddog wrote:Which was my point all along. The police are in charge of keeping dumbasses from hurting and killing each other, and in this case they failed miserably. But the dumbasses should also accept some responsibility for being dumbasses.

Absolutely spot on!

How the fuck people can say the fans hold no blame for this disaster is beyond a joke.What other sports have to separately cage the fans to keep them from attacking each other?